Why it wasn't covered on insurance, a lesson learned the hard way.

I had a friend at one of my favorite forums ask me how long I had to wait on the insurance. I replied and this is what I ended up writing. So I cut it and decided to post it here, because it is more appropriate here than there. (I can direct her here to answer her question in length.)

I thought that since it was parked in my driveway it would be covered on my renters property insurance. I thought wrong.

I have had it in my yard covered with a tarp in winters past with no problem.  This year it wasn't covered.

When I strapped it up tight last year the seat mildewed, and I replace it this summer. I had gotten scotch gaurd but hadn't treated it  yet, and it had been there so long, no one ever bothered it. I didn't ever imagine someone would steal it from me.

Someone has explained to me since it was stolen, about something called comprehensive, non running or something, but since it is so old (its a 1992) I don't even know if it could have been covered that way.

When I drive it to sell ice cream, I had full coverage but that runs over $200 a month and I can't afford it all year on the non driving month's fixed budget.

The first year I had it I lived in a larger home and it was in the garage. The insurance agent did tell me if the house were to burn down or something it would have been covered, I don't know now if that would have been correct or not.

The second year, I rented out one of those commercial garage spaces, they call them MaxiSpace here, they have electricity, so it was my "ice cream shop." I kept my freezers over there as well.  It ran me almost $300 a month.

I couldn't afford that all year round, especially with the seasonal insurance as well.

It is an up and down business. You never know what the weather is going to be like, on a given day, or even a given season. Last spring, we didn't have much of a spring here at all. You never know which neighborhoods are going to be good or not, and how much competition you run into.

The last few years have been tough, not only because people are holding on to their money a little tighter, but lots of unemployed people, think "oh this would be easy and slap stickers on there vans."

Us seasoned ice cream people call them "the sunny day fly by nighters," lol. Most of them do it for one season and realize it is way more work then they realized. It doesn't matter though, in most neighborhoods, even if I had lots of regulars, who loved me, ice cream is a first come, first to get a sale business. Although I have had some regulars who have bought from me, even when some other truck has just come by, just because they really like me, that is customer loyalty. :)

Some people probably wonder why I do it at all.

Tommorrow I am going to do another video explaining that in detail. But to make a long story short. I have fibromyalgia and I suffer from severe depression among other problems, too. I take lots of medicine it is hard for me to get going in the morning.

It is an afternoon job. I set my own hours. It helps me keep money in my pocket all the time. It gives me so much joy when I am behind the wheel. I had a stereo on the inside with two little speakers, and listened to my "own" music, while I played the ice cream music outside.

I always played really upbeat, inspirational motivational music. I could be depressed and have to "force myself" to get going and it would only take me maybe 3 or 4 blocks and 2 or 3 customers, and I was happy and flying high. A natural happy high. 

It was medicine for my soul.

I adore the young children, they are so sweet, they always make me smile and I love being outdoors.

The guy who stole my truck, stole much more than the monetary value of my truck. He stole my joy, appreciation and love of what I did, and the tool and power that I had to do that on a daily basis.

In the news, I know this story isn't bad, compared to all the other horrible things we hear each day. To a lot of people, the 6,000 I paid for it may not be a huge amount of money.

But I can count on less than the fingers of 1 hand the times in my life I have ever spent that much on 1 thing, all three times it was a vehicle, and the time I bought my ice cream truck was the only time I paid it all at once.

(It was when I got the back pay after fighting 13 years to get my disability payments, then waiting almost two to actually see the money, once I knew I won).

The other two times, I spent just a little more than that, were two times in my life when I got a brand new car. A honda back in the 79 which I paid 6200 for and
I don't remember how much I paid for a Chevy Sprint I had in the 86.

I know you got a way longer answer than you bargained for, but since I am planning on doing this video tommorrow, explaining all this out is sorta therapy for my soul on the whole issue. Now all I need is a teleprompter. LOL>

I have to do another one, because the David Rose from Q13 is doing a segment on Washington's Most Wanted on saturday night, and I want him to use something other than the "raw emotion and too close to my face" video that is on YouTube right now.

I also want people to realize, "the joy" that I got every minute I was behind the wheel in that truck. I want them to hear me explain that, what I just explained above in my own words.

I created a design for a sweatshirt or tshirt.

It seems like lots of businesses especially corporate ones have policies about putting up flyers. So I created a design to print out an eye catching poster, that I am going to make into a transfer for a sweatshirt.

I will be adding a file that you can print out that has business card, and index card sizes of the important websites and the CrimeStoppers information.

 It is extra large and made at a high resolution, I apologize if it caused the page to load slow, but those are needed to get a good printout.

Here is the same image without the border in case you want to spruce it up with your own comments.

I plan on printing out a bunch of these and handing them out to anyone who comments on my sweatshirt. You could do the same if  you live here in Pierce County to help me out. Or just print out the buisness or index card info and give them out to people you know.


Again, thanks for all your help.

 God Bless you all..
Laurie

New Year's Eve, 2011 Tacoma News Tribune Masthead, My Blue Jeans Ice Cream Truck, Thank You!

Here is a photo of the front page mast head of the News Tribune's copy of the day they published the story about my missing ice cream truck.

In the new year I am focusing on positive thoughts and vibrations, because I have always believed what we think we achieve and if I think negative stuff only more of that will come to me.

This  belief habit I have worked so hard to achieve kind of ran away from me last week along with my missing stolen truck.

Starting right now, today, I am creating and sending thank you and appreciation to all who have and are continuing to help me spread the word, pictures and news.

This is the part you can't see at the story page on my article.

You can click on the photo to see a larger image. :o) Don't do that if you have low Ram on your computer, this is a large image, I am so grateful for the coverage they put.

There is actually a humorous story behind all this. I went to the store to grab a copy Saturday morning. Janet Jensen, the kind sweet photographer had emailed me telling me my story was slated to be on page A3 on Saturday.

I grabbed the paper before I even looked at it and opened it to the 3rd page. It wasn't until a friend called me and asked me if I had seen the paper yet, that I realized that I was in the masthead as well as the nice article on the third page. LOL.

I am trying and doing a pretty good job of keeping my spirits up, by focusing on what is still good and what I can do.

Kindest regards to all, and please leave your comments and subscribe.

Laurie

Help Find Stolen Colorful Blue Jean Lady's Ice Cream Truck

A 55 year old single mom of 3, on disability, who uses her uniquely painted Blue Jeans Ice Cream Truck to stretch the family income, did a double take when she went out to her driveway the day after Christmas. Someone had stolen her 3 wheel Cushman scooter, right out of her driveway. Owner of the Cushman Scooter, Laurie Meade, said she was just shocked and flabergasted that someone could do such a thing to her family, and especially on Christmas night.

Laurie lives in Parkland WA, a suburb south of Tacoma, WA. She decided to use Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to get the attention of the media, so that as many people as possible will keep their eyes open for her Blue Jean's Ice Cream Truck.

Happening sometime within the wee hours of Christmas night, Laurie says that it would of had to been pushed, or the battery jumped, or they must of put it on a trailer or pulled it away. She is just totally panicked about how her family will survive without that truck come this spring.

She can do the ice cream truck, because she is her own boss, sets her own hours and can slow down when she isn't feeling good.  She is not a morning person, because the medications she is on really sedate her and make it hard to get going. The ice cream starts in the afternoon, working out very well. It also lifts her spirits, because she really enjoys being outdoors, seeing the kids and beautifully landscaped yards and nature as she drives her ice cream truck.

Laurie bought her truck in 2008, paid $6,000 for it. She painted it to look unique to make it easier for her customers to know it was her coming down the street and not her competitors. The front and speaker are painted gold, and the truck itself painted in a texture to look like blue jeans.

She scanned the stickers and framed them to make them look like blue jean hip pockets. She even had a blue jean covered bench seat in the cab.

Her goal to attract attention to the news media using facebook, twitter and youtube is working.
http://www.q13fox.com/news/kcpq-owner-of-stolen-colorful-ice-cream-truck-stolen-on-christmas-seeks-its-return-20111228,0,5229833.story

Q 13 in Seattle was the first to release the story, The Tacoma News Tribune is going to run an article in Saturday, December 31, 2011 issue.

Laurie believes that the more people she can get to like and read her Facebook page at:
http://www.facebook.com/findstolenbluejeansicecreamtruck
the better chance she will have of getting it back. If they don't live nearby at least they can say a prayer for us. Who knows what this thief's intent is or was, he could be taking it out of the city or state for all she knows, she said.

She just can't imagine what the thief's motives or thoughts were in doing this, and she wants everybody to know how important it is to recover it.

The public is being asked to call Crime Stoppers of Tacoma/Pierce County at 1-800-222-TIPS if the ice cream truck is spotted.

David Rose, a reporter at http://www.q13fox.com/news/ said if it isn't found by next weekend, he will run it on their Washington's Most Wanted show. He is determined to help Laurie find her uniquely colored Blue Jeans Ice Cream Truck.